The vintage trend of a mobile bar cart has made an overwhelming appearance over the past few years. Maybe it’s our generation’s obsession with craft cocktails, or our desire for eclectic vintage style…but I’m not mad it! Our Target bar cart was a gift from a family friend at my bridal shower in 2017. 3 years later, I still love the focal, decorative point of our bar cart; and the endless opportunities our bar cart brings for displaying and serving beverages.
When I think about bar carts in the 50s and 60s, I imagine a classic American housewife, wearing a half apron, moving the bar cart throughout the house, serving her guests right at their seats. I also see a bar cart featuring traditional items like an ice bucket and tongs, a cocktail shaker, stirrer, and maybe some fresh herbs.
If you’re like me though, the idea of a moving cart on wheels carrying delicate glass and dark colored liquids anywhere near a white rug or couch stresses you out…let’s gear our focus toward styling a bar cart to look beautiful in its stationary position. With the option to move around the house, if you feel daringly inclined. We have our bar cart against a wall in the center of our home, smack dab in the middle of our kitchen, dining room, and living room. It’s the perfect, convenient spot to store and display some of our favorite drinks, while keeping them close by when it’s time to party.
If there’s one thing I love most about bar carts, it’s their versatility! At the end of the day, they’re basically a pretty bookshelf on wheels to display whatever your sweet heart desires. Today, I’ll be sharing FOUR styling options for our bar cart. Hoping this will get your creative juices flowing, and spark some energy to style your own bar cart!
Classic Liquor Look:
This is what our bar cart looks like right now. It features our hard alcohol favorites in a way that doesn’t look cluttered, but instead, coordinated and organized. Put your heavy handles, like our Tito’s & Jack, on the bottom. Add in a natural element like a bowl of fresh citrus (full disclosure – those are avocados pictured LOL, currently waiting for our citrus tree to produce) + an element of height like a stack of books or decorative boxes.
Under the top shelf, we screwed in small gold hooks that we purchased for a few bucks at Home Depot. This was a cheap and easy way to add extra storage to our bar cart. In this look, we’re displaying 4 copper mule mugs.
On the top shelf, you’ll see smaller, dainty items, like short cocktail glasses, and a bottle of bitters. The top shelf is also an ideal space to display a bottle of alcohol that holds sentimental value. Our mini bottle of Special Reserve Jack Daniels, is engraved with our names, as we purchased it from the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, TN last April. We only open it once a year, but it’s home on the top shelf of our bar cart adds personality!
The Vino Vignette:
Where my winos at!? This bar cart features a few of your favorite bottles of wine (we hide our other 5376887 bottles of wine in our living room sideboard), 4 glasses to share, and a rose gold wine bottle opener. It’s as simple as that! When I think about wine, I think about love and romance; so it felt appropriate to feature a framed photo of Tay and I on the bottom shelf next to our favorite bottle of champagne. Blending in a couples photo with bar elements, like glassware and wine bottles, creates a warm-n-fuzzy-memory-inspiring display. Think about a sunny afternoon at your favorite winery with the love our your life. That mood is the inspo for this vino vignette!
On the top shelf, you’ll see some decorative port wine crystal glasses, and a pitcher of eucalyptus. In this look, the cake stand adds height and depth.
Southwest Sparkling Water Look:
Not a wine or liquor drinker? The next 2 designs feature non-alcoholic ways to style your bar cart. This one is my favorite of the four!
Tay and I have recently developed an insane love for Topo Chico. A cozy, coastal cantina in Del Mar serves a cocktail called Ranch Water, which features tequila, Topo Chico, and lime. After one sip of this cocktail, we were hooked!
We love the retro look of the Topo Chico bottles, especially when paired with natural elements, like the paddle serving board and blend of dried bunny ears and pampas grass up top. Add a stack of books or decorative boxes, a small succulent, and copper mule mugs. This look is too easy!
The Caffeinated Cart:
A Bar Cart can so quickly be transformed to a coffee cart! Think about a slow, Saturday morning…sunshine sneaking through the kitchen window, the smell of fresh brewed coffee. What do you see? I see bright white mugs, a clean French press, and earthy olive branches. This look features neutral colors + all the tools you’ll need for that perfect cup of Joe. We used the hooks under the top shelf to display matching coffee mugs, and coordinated them with a small creamer on the top shelf. On the bottom shelf, you’ll see two small copper canisters. This is where we store our stevia, and coffee grounds. The French press could easily be replaced with a Keurig, if that’s your thing! Add in design elements like an olive tree, scented candle, and marble serving board to create a fluid aesthetic look.
